Library & Information Science Books

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 321 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Bestselling author Nassim Nicholas Taleb continues his exploration of randomness in his fascinating new book, The Black Swan, in which he examines the influence of highly improbable and unpredictable events that have massive impact. Engaging and enlightening, The Black Swan is a book that may change the way you think about the world, a book that Chris Anderson calls, "a delightful romp through history, economics, and the frailties of human nature." See Anderson's entire guest review below.

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Guest Reviewer: Chris Anderson

Chris Anderson is editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and the author of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More.

Four hundred years ago, Francis Bacon warned that our minds are wired to deceive us. "Beware the fallacies into which undisciplined thinkers most easily fall--they are the real distorting prisms of human nature." Chief among them: "Assuming more order than exists in chaotic nature." Now consider the typical stock market report: "Today investors bid shares down out of concern over Iranian oil production." Sigh. We're still doing it.

Our brains are wired for narrative, not statistical uncertainty. And so we tell ourselves simple stories to explain complex thing we don't--and, most importantly, can't--know. The truth is that we have no idea why stock markets go up or down on any given day, and whatever reason we give is sure to be grossly simplified, if not flat out wrong.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb first made this argument in Fooled by Randomness, an engaging look at the history and reasons for our predilection for self-deception when it comes to statistics. Now, in The Black Swan: the Impact of the Highly Improbable, he focuses on that most dismal of sciences, predicting the future. Forecasting is not just at the heart of Wall Street, but it's something each of us does every time we make an insurance payment or strap on a seat belt.

The problem, Nassim explains, is that we place too much weight on the odds that past events will repeat (diligently trying to follow the path of the "millionaire next door," when unrepeatable chance is a better explanation). Instead, the really important events are rare and unpredictable. He calls them Black Swans, which is a reference to a 17th century philosophical thought experiment. In Europe all anyone had ever seen were white swans; indeed, "all swans are white" had long been used as the standard example of a scientific truth. So what was the chance of seeing a black one? Impossible to calculate, or at least they were until 1697, when explorers found Cygnus atratus in Australia.

Nassim argues that most of the really big events in our world are rare and unpredictable, and thus trying to extract generalizable stories to explain them may be emotionally satisfying, but it's practically useless. September 11th is one such example, and stock market crashes are another. Or, as he puts it, "History does not crawl, it jumps." Our assumptions grow out of the bell-curve predictability of what he calls "Mediocristan," while our world is really shaped by the wild powerlaw swings of "Extremistan."

In full disclosure, I'm a long admirer of Taleb's work and a few of my comments on drafts found their way into the book. I, too, look at the world through the powerlaw lens, and I too find that it reveals how many of our assumptions are wrong. But Taleb takes this to a new level with a delightful romp through history, economics, and the frailties of human nature. --Chris Anderson

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The Chicago Manual of Style

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Total reviews: 97 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Fifteenth Edition is available in book form, on CD-ROM for Windows, and as a subscription Web site. The same content from The Chicago Manual of Style is in all three versions.

In the 1890s, a proofreader at the University of Chicago Press prepared a single sheet of typographic fundamentals intended as a guide for the University community. That sheet grew into a pamphlet, and the pamphlet grew into a book—the first edition of the Manual of Style, published in 1906. Now in its fifteenth edition, The Chicago Manual of Style—the essential reference for authors, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers in any field—is more comprehensive and easier to use than ever before.

Those who work with words know how dramatically publishing has changed in the past decade, with technology now informing and influencing every stage of the writing and publishing process. In creating the fifteenth edition of the Manual, Chicago's renowned editorial staff drew on direct experience of these changes, as well as on the recommendations of the Manual's first advisory board, composed of a distinguished group of scholars, authors, and professionals from a wide range of publishing and business environments.

Every aspect of coverage has been examined and brought up to date—from publishing formats to editorial style and method, from documentation of electronic sources to book design and production, and everything in between. In addition to books, the Manual now also treats journals and electronic publications. All chapters are written for the electronic age, with advice on how to prepare and edit manuscripts online, handle copyright and permissions issues raised by technology, use new methods of preparing mathematical copy, and cite electronic and online sources.

A new chapter covers American English grammar and usage, outlining the grammatical structure of English, showing how to put words and phrases together to achieve clarity, and identifying common errors. The two chapters on documentation have been reorganized and updated: the first now describes the two main systems preferred by Chicago, and the second discusses specific elements and subject matter, with examples of both systems. Coverage of design and manufacturing has been streamlined to reflect what writers and editors need to know about current procedures. And, to make it easier to search for information, each numbered paragraph throughout the Manual is now introduced by a descriptive heading.

Clear, concise, and replete with commonsense advice, The Chicago Manual of Style, fifteenth edition, offers the wisdom of a hundred years of editorial practice while including a wealth of new topics and updated perspectives. For anyone who works with words, whether on a page or computer screen, this continues to be the one reference book you simply must have.

What's new in the Fifteenth Edition:

* Updated material throughout to reflect current style, technology, and professional practice

* Scope expanded to include journals and electronic publications

* Comprehensive new chapter on American English grammar and usage by Bryan A. Garner (author of A Dictionary of Modern American Usage)

* Updated and rewritten chapter on preparing mathematical copy

* Reorganized and updated chapters on documentation, including guidance on citing electronic sources

* Streamlined coverage of current design and production processes, with a glossary of key terms

* Descriptive headings on all numbered paragraphs for ease of reference

* New diagrams of the editing and production processes for both books and journals, keyed to chapter discussions

* New, expanded Web site with special tools and features for Manual users at www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.

Foundations of Library and Information Science

Richard Rubin

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Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Foundations of Library and Information Science is the most current introductory text available, covering the practice of librarianship, the place of libraries in the broader information infrastructure, the development of information science, and more. Library and information science students and professionals will find the background and concepts they need to meet today's - and tomorrow's - challenges. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. The Information Infrastructure: Libraries in Context; 2. Information Science: A Service Perspective; 3. Redefining the Library: The Impacts and Implications of Technological Change; 4. Information Policy: Stakeholders and Agendas; 5. Information Policy as Library Policy: Intellectual Freedom; 6. Information Organization: Issues and Techniques; 7. From Past to Present: The Library s Mission and Its Values; 8. Ethics and Standards: Professional Practices in Library and Information Science; 9. The Library as Institution: An Organizational View, and 10. Librarianship: An Evolving Profession.

Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great purchase! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is a must-have for anyone interested in becoming a library media specialist. It is an excellent source of information and practically required by the ALA, since that is who co-wrote it. It is also absolutely necessary if you're taking the Library Media Specialist Praxis test. A lot of the questions come from this book.

PRAXIS for Library Science 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

According to many in my grad program, this ALA book is a must read for passing the PRAXIS for Library Science. Pay particular attention to the Appendixes.

a must have for librarians 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have used this book in 2 classes for library school. It is a must have!

Super Informative 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Very informative book. It contains the Standards and goals that SLMS should try to reach. A good book for those that do not understand the various hats that media specialists wear. Great tool to use when preparing for the GACE.

Good but should be updated. 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It is a valuable resource for all the reasons others have stated, but I think it should be updated. Is there a new edition coming out or currently out, or is the 10-year-old edition it at this point?

Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction

Kay Ann Cassell, Uma Hiremath

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is an instructional book for future reference librarians to learn how to better serve their patrons. It is quite interesting but can be dry in parts. I am using it for a class and have learned much.

Fabulous book! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I highly recommend this book for all library school students, and for practicing librarians too. The book mentions many of the resources available, and tells you how to use them too.

Editorial Review:

This innovative text features an all-new approach that will change the way you think about reference service. The only reference text to identify the top resources in major subject areas and genres, it shows students how to approach the reference query by matching specific types of question to the most appropriate format (when answering questions that require handy facts, for example, go first to ready reference sources; for questions about current events and issues, start with indexes). Guided by an advisory board and a focus group, the authors have achieved an ideal balance between practical elements and guiding principles. This landmark text is sure to be of interest to LIS educators, students, and both novice and experienced reference professionals.

Developing Library and Information Center Collections: Fifth Edition (Library and Information Science Text Series)

G. Edward Evans, Margaret Zarnosky Saponaro

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This latest edition continues to cover all phases of collection development--from needs assessment, policies, and the selection process (theory and practice) to publishers, serials, protection, legal issues, censorhip and intellectual freedom. Each chapter has been extensively revised to reflect changing practices, policies, and technologies. To this end, some chapters--electronic materials, government information, audiovisual materials, and resource sharing--have been almost completely rewritten. In addition, electronic serials, introduced in the 4th edition, has been combined with its print counterpart into a single chapter. New to this edition is a CD containing supplementary material; a companion Web site () is maintained to ensure URLs referenced throughout the text are kept up-to-date. As the authors put it in their introductory chapter, "whatever environment one works in, collection development is an exciting challenge that requires lifelong learning." Students and practicioners alike will benefit greatly from this state-of-the-art text.

Inside Reporting: A Practical Guide to the Craft of Journalism

Tim Harrower

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A GREAT book! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I've been a reporter and journalism instructor for 20 years and have used everything out there during that time. I've also used Tim's other text "The Newspaper Designer's Handbook" in my editing sections. This book is a joy to use --- last night I went over chapter 4 during a 6-9 p.m. class and as I added my anecdotes to the lecture, two hours flew by thanks to the slick structure of this text.
All instructors think they could do it better when assembling a textbook, but I can't say that any more. Tim has done it. This book covers everything I could ever think of and more. He discusses style. He includes tests and exercises and there is even an anthology he uses as a "morgue." Get a desk copy and require it for your students. It is a great book, one that will not be sold at the end of the semester, but kept on the shelf and used as a reference for years to come. He stresses convergence and the move from print to the web in a way that makes us old timers feel less of the pain. This is the new basic text for me. Wow what a book!

Editorial Review:

This text does for reporting what Tim Harrower's The Newspaper Designer's Handbook has previously done for design: make it fun and accessible to newcomers. Harrower is an award-winning editor, designer and columnist who has previously taught at Portland State University and currently conducts journalism workshops. Inside Reporting emphasizes the basics but also provides a wealth of information on online reporting and packaging stories in more visual, interactive ways. It also includes more useful information on feature writing--from stories to reviews and column-writing--than any other text in the field.

The Organization of Information: Second Edition (Library and Information Science Text Series)

Arlene G. Taylor

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Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Lack of organization and clarity hurt this title. 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I am currently using this text in a class and must say that Taylor could have certainly eased the transition into comprehending this book by putting a little more effort into it. There is a consistent jump from topic to topic, which makes the subject matter a lot less interesting than it really is. Taylor's persistence in creating a schizophrenic reader, by inserting un-necessary topics mid paragraph really hurts the potential that this book had. I've also noticed a poor level of editing and a general lack of clarity in discussing even simple terms. There has to be a better text out there regarding Organization of Information/Knowledge. Don't mis-understand me, Taylor knows her stuff, and has written well in the past, but this feels like an amateurish attempt to sound overly-technical, it really comes looking like a waste of paper. If there isn't anything better, it might be beneficial to whomever attempts it, just about anything else would be on par with this, regardless of who published it.

Editorial Review:

The extensively revised and completely updated second edition of this popular textbook provides LIS practitioners and students with a vital guide to the organization of information. After a broad overview of the concept and its role in human endeavors, Taylor proceeds to a detailed and insightful discussion of such basic retrieval tools as bibliographies, catalogs, indexes, finding aids, registers, databases, major bibliographic utilities, and other organizing entities. After tracing the development of the organization of recorded information in Western civilization from 2000 B.C.E. to the present, the author addresses topics that include encoding standards (MARC, SGML, and various DTDs), metadata (description, access, and access control), verbal subject analysis including controlled vocabularies and ontologies, classification theory and methodology, arrangement and display, and system design.

Reference and Information Services: An Introduction

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Updated to reflect the latest trends in reference services and the newest sources commonly used for reference work, this long-awaited book offers you a state-of-the-art view of the concepts, theories, and practicalities of reference work today. A host of specialists have contributed to the collection. This new edition includes more detailed discussion of a wider range of reference-related services including interlibrary loan, document delivery, and readers' advisory services. There is also increased attention to ethical issues and a stronger focus on user-centered services, both face-to-face and mediated by technology. In addition, the authors discuss Web sites of significant value to reference services and the impact of the Internet and World Wide Web on reference services. This carefully designed and readable text explains the essential theory and provides the practical knowledge necessary for an initial reference course. Its broad scope and organizational clarity will benefit students and practitioners.

A Writer's Resource (comb) with Student Access to Catalyst 2.0

Elaine Maimon, Janice Peritz, Kathleen Yancey

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

This book is best!! For Eng 101 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Before you buy this book, also consider ISBN:0073228508 or 0073230561
They're Instructor edition, but all the same. Compare the prices

Editorial Review:

The second edition of A Writer's Resource draws on its authors' 20 years of research into writing in college and provides the most extensive technological support available, forming an indispensable resource for learning, writing, researching, and editing. The second edition features a stonger focus on visual rhetoric, new documentation flowcharts, a new chapter on multimedia assignments, enhanced coverage of note-taking and plagiarism, new online peer review utilities (as well as course management utilities for instructors), and more!